What's on in the area

Barclays Scottish Open

Jul 2010 (annual)

Cost: Day ticket £22 until 31 Jan, £30 after
Season ticket £55 until 31 Jan, £75 after

Hours: Various

The Barclays Scottish Open is played at Loch Lomond. It offers the perfect preparation for the British Open the following week and attracts the leading players on the European Tour as well as a host of stars from the US.

Prior to the four main competition days there is a practice day and Pro-Am tournament.

The course itself, designed by former British Open champion Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, is one of the most beautiful in Britain and, as a test of golf, the players love it. So too, it seems, do the fans, with attendances of well over 100,000 every year.

While the lure of the dollar has enticed many players to the US, the European Tour remains an extremely lucrative alternative and now includes events as far afield as South Africa, Australia, Qatar, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

For the European stars on the Tour there is more at stake than pure financial reward: the top 10 players are automatically selected for the European Team to play against the US in the Ryder Cup. Save winning one of the majors, competing in this competition is the pinnacle of a golfer's career.

Loch Lomond Golf Club, Rossdhu House